To Be Or Not To Be Alive
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: Lorna keeps watch over Strong Guy, but will he wake up from his coma before the government cuts off his medical stay?


Title: "To Be or Not to Be Alive"  
Author: Pirate Turner  
Rating: G  
Summary: Lorna keeps watch over Strong Guy, but will he wake up from his coma before the government cuts off his medical stay?  
Disclaimer: Lorna "Polaris" Dane, Guide/Strong Guy, Forge, Valerie Cooper, Shard, X-Factor, and all other characters in this story are © & TM Marvel comics and are used without permission. Everything else is © & TM Pirate Turner. The author makes absolutely no profit from this story.

It was a Summer night. Lorna Dane came into the hospital room #42. She carried some flowers over to a table before walking over to the hospital bed where her good friend, Guido, lay, lost to her perhaps forever in a coma.

"Hi, Guido. How're ya doing?" Lorna stroked the giant man's forehead and wiped a strand of white hair off his shut eyes. She sighed. She missed Guido.

She turned and walked over to the window. She stared sadly out on the going-ons down below. She was in a mood of depression, and she had a feeling that it would get worse before it got better.

* * *

Forge and Dr. Valerie Cooper walked into the room. Lorna stirred awake in a chair and greeted them, "Hi."

"Hello, Lorna," replied Val with a distracted tone in her voice.

"Lorna, I'm afraid I have some bad news." Forge laid his hand gently on Lorna's shoulder.

"What is it?" Polaris asked, looking over at where Strong Guy slept soundly. She had an unnerving feeling that the news somehow involved her team mate.

Valerie spoke up, "The government has decided to quit funding Strong Guy's hospital stay."

Lorna shook her head, hoping against hope that this would not result in what she thought it would. "But that means that Guido will be turned off! That he'll die!"

Forge shook his head sadly, "We know, Lorna."

Lorna held back her tears. "But why?"

"They say that they 'don't have the money to waste on keeping him alive when he's never going to wake up'," explained Valerie.

"But he will wake up! He just needs a little more time!" protested Lorna.

Forge replied quietly, "We tried to tell them that, but they would only give us another 48 hours."

"AFTER ALL HE'S DONE FOR THIS COUNTRY, ALL THE GOVERNMENT CAN GIVE HIM IS A MERE 48 HOURS BEFORE THEY MURDER HIM!" Lorna yelled.

"Lorna, please, you're starting to make a scene," Valerie pleaded.

"I MAY BE STARTING A SCENE, VALERIE, BUT THEY'RE THE ONES MAKING A HUGE MISTAKE!" Lorna continued on, throwing her green hair behind her back. Her green eyes angrily glared.

"LORNA DANE, THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!" Valerie objected, her hands on her hips.

"Enough? ENOUGH? THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING! IF GUIDO DIES BECAUSE OF THEM, I QUIT!" Angrily, Lorna marched through the crowd and out of the hospital, her cheeks on fire. She had never been this outraged at the government!

* * *

Lorna returned to the hospital the next day. Only this time, Shard came with her. Shard took a seat while Lorna watered Guido's flowers for him. She then stood by the single window in the hospital room.

"It's so unfair," Lorna stated.

"What is?" Shard inquired.

"The government cutting Guido off," explained Lorna.

"Yes, that most certainly is a shame," agreed Shard, "especially after all he's done for this country. How long has he been on the team now?"

"As long as I have," replied Lorna.

"Do you know what the chances of him waking up by tomorrow are?" asked Shard.

"No, but one thing's for sure, and that's that they're not good," answered Lorna. "But, then again, they never are and that's the kind of chances Guido always liked."

Suddenly, a moan came from the bed. Lorna and Shard ran to the side of the bed.

Guido yawned and blinked. "What's a guy got to do to get some food around here?"

Lorna ran out into the hall. "GUIDO'S AWAKE! HE WANTS SOME FOOD! BRING SOME FOOD!" She then ran back to Guido's bedside. "You're awake!"

"How long have I been out?" Guido asked.

"A long time," answered Lorna.

"How'd I get knocked out in the first place? What all have I missed? Where's everybody else? What hospital am I in?" inquired Guido.

"It's a loooooooong story," replied Lorna, stroking Guido's head. She then started answering all her friend's questions the best she could.

**THE END**


End file.
